During the waning days of the campaigns for governor and U.S. Senator, I received an inordinate amount of correspondence lamenting the outrageous, demagogic, disingenuous, negative ads, especially on television. The frustration can best be summed up by a thoughtful writer’s comments, “Steve, it is sad with all the issues we need to face in Alabama […]

Recent estimates show that runaway inflation and increasing costs for essentially everything cost the typical American family an extra $5,200 a year to maintain their current way of living. The Consumer Price Index, which monitors the prices of basic goods and services, reported that Americans are paying 12% more this year for groceries when compared […]

The one word we in Alabama want and need to hear when a child needs serious medical attention is “Children’s.” At Children’s Hospital of Alabama, we know a child will receive the absolute best health care and most up-to-date medical treatment available. U.S. News & World Report has again recognized that fact and named Children’s […]

When the world was a mess, Alabama showed plain common sense. Our tourists are proof positive of that. Over the last two years, tourists and vacationers have flocked to Alabama to escape unnecessary restrictions and mandates. They also traveled here in record numbers because Alabama has something for everyone. From our white sandy beaches on […]

The February shutdown of an Abbott Laboratories plant in Michigan due to contamination precipitated the nationwide baby formula shortage. The plant finally resumed production this month. Whether these events reflect corporate greed or bureaucratic bungling illustrates why we so often disagree about policy. Let’s start with some facts. Abbott is one of the four largest […]

I got into this U.S. Senate race for one reason: I have never before feared for the future of my country like I do today. I think many of you feel the same way. I’ve heard it from thousands of Alabamians while traveling our state. Jim in Muscle Shoals was worried about being able to […]

Included in the lists of great speakers of the 20th century are Franklin Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, Martin Luther King and Adolph Hitler. The latter addition may cause us to do a double-take since we recognize Hitler as psychotic, or demon possessed, depending on one’s perspective, but Hitler ranks high as a man whose passion moved […]

The summer of 1974 in Washington, D.C. was a political bullfight; there was one bull, but a host of matadors, picadors and spectators galore just waiting to watch President Nixon in his last gasps of political power. Congressional hearings, articles of impeachment and an administration completely insular and unstable were all coming to a simultaneous […]

Back in 2018, while I was serving as the chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, I oversaw the creation of the USDA’s Rural Broadband Reconnect Program. The goal of this program was to do the same thing for internet connectivity that the rural electrification program did for electricity almost 100 years ago. The […]

We need more conservative fighters like Katie Britt in the U.S. Senate — leaders who defend our rights, stand strong for the rule of law, and put Americans first. As senator for Arkansas, I’ve been fighting every day to hold Joe Biden’s incompetent White House accountable and secure our porous southern border. I need more […]

As Americans struggle to put gas in their cars (the national average is now over $5 a gallon), inflation is near a 40-year high, and our southern border continues to be overrun by illegal immigrants, Democrats in Washington are focused on creating drama in an attempt to distract everyday Americans from the real issues facing […]

When 77% of voting Alabamians passed a statewide amendment to improve our 21 state parks, they did us a favor. Of the $85-million bond approved, $80 million will go toward modernizing the parks and investing in infrastructure to improve them. The funding will make the parks more profitable and improve their position as premiere tourism […]

Dr. Martin Luther King argued that the arc of the moral universe is long and bends toward justice. This geometry lesson was used to illustrate a belief that history is pulled gravitationally towards freedom. One of the early “moral arcs” occurred 807 years ago this month when the Magna Carta was signed at Runnymede. This […]

Our popular high steppin’ pistol totin’ Governor Kay Ivey won a very impressive reelection victory for governor on May 24. Ivey turned back eight GOP primary challengers to win the Republican gubernatorial nomination without a runoff. She garnered an amazing 54% of the vote and carried every county in Alabama. That is a feat not […]

I met her at a conference where we were assigned to the same table. She was bubbling with excitement about her church. “It’s changed my life and my family’s life,” she said. “We can’t wait ‘til Sundays come!” Her enthusiasm was refreshing to hear. But then she puzzled me when she told me where she […]

For decades, Alabama workers have been at the forefront of supporting American warfighters. In January of this year, our support expanded as Lockheed Martin and Airbus announced the LMXT strategic tanker aircraft will be partly manufactured in Mobile, Alabama. It is exciting to know that Alabamians would play a key role in building this aircraft, […]

Like many of you, I grew up around guns and was taught to respect them and always treat them safely. I believe I got my first gun when I was 8, and I’ve been a collector ever since. As a young boy and later as a teenager, I spent much of my time after school […]

It takes money, moxie and muscle to defeat an incumbent. If you run against one, you’d better beat them. It happens fewer times than not, but here are eight exceptions to that rule. Susan DuBose defeated Rep. Dickie Drake in House District 45 which encompasses portions of Jefferson and Shelby Counties. DuBose is a former […]

The killing of 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, has outraged Americans. The malfeasance of law enforcement during the tragedy is highly disturbing and demands reforms. Police officers reportedly waited outside the classroom for over an hour. The commanding officer evaluated the situation as a “barricaded shooter,” not an […]

It used to be said that we had more Baptists than kudzu in Alabama. Now there are a few less since I bade farewell to three on the same day. A Baptist girl whom I had baptized, along with her mother, had a Roman Catholic wedding a few days ago. She took the faith of […]

After the 1960 Kennedy vs. Nixon classic presidential contest, television became the medium for political campaigns. TV became the new campaign strategy in Alabama in 1962. George Wallace, Big Jim Folsom and Ryan DeGraffenried used TV that year for the first time. Unfortunately for Big Jim Folsom, his use of TV was the demise of […]

Well, the primary election is over, and Alabamians made some good decisions as they usually do — all on their own. Voters decided that Gov. Kay Ivey is not a part of communist China and has not done any of the other things she was so ridiculously accused of doing – some downright laughable. She […]

Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover has stirred many emotions. The deal also illustrates the unprofitability of media bias, which claims of media bias must consider. The drama began with Mr. Musk announcing on April 4 a 9% stake in the company. After turning down a seat on the Board of Directors, Mr. Musk proposed on April […]

I thought of it a few days ago when the Southern Baptist Convention determined to move their 2023 annual meeting from Charlotte to New Orleans. It reminded me about the time William got so distraught over the SBC meeting in Las Vegas—the “Sin City” of the West. My wife and I used to attend the […]